Josh Allen Clarifies Role He Played in Bills Re-Signing Connor McGovern

When the Buffalo Bills re-signed Connor McGovern to a four-year, $52 million free-agent deal, the Bills’ center revealed that Josh Allen had a hand in the team bringing back the anchor of their offensive line.

Allen clarified the extent of his involvement while addressing the media after the team’s voluntary veteran minicamp on Monday, when he said that, while he did make a phone call, there wasn’t much more to it than that.

“I mean, I don’t know if I got really involved,” said Allen. “He gave me a call, and it was the day before, really, free agency was about to hit. He basically told me he was saying goodbye.”

That’s when Allen took matters into his own hands.

“And I was like, just give me one second,” he added. “And I just gave [Brandon Beane] a call, and he’s like, ‘I’m working on it.’ So I didn’t really have much to do with it.”

Although Allen downplayed his impact on the team’s general manager/president of football operations eventually pulling the trigger on one of the Bills’ key free agents, the timing of the phone call and subsequent signing is a bit curious.

‘Awesome to have him back’

Buffalo Bills center Connor McGovern (66) looks on before an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Buffalo’s franchise quarterback also previously said he has taken a step back in terms of his involvement in the predraft process after the birth of his first child, a baby girl, which he and his wife, Hailee Steinfeld, announced on Apr. 2. Despite his assertion otherwise, something tells me he still has his hand in things when it comes to front-office decisions.

McGovern has been a key piece for the Bills’ trench unit since coming to Buffalo in 2023. He has started 49 games over the past three seasons, allowing just one sack and four quarterback hurries since joining the team, according to Pro Football Focus.

For Allen, who has had two centers—McGovern and the now-retired Mitch Morse—for the majority of his career, the continuity he has developed with the man currently tasked with snapping him the ball was most important to him when urging Beane to make the deal.

“Protection calls, having someone I can lean on and rely on,” said Allen. “Just the comfort of his personality, too. Being able to joke with him and kind of know the ins and outs. So it’s a very familiar feeling. It’s awesome.”

Big piece

Connor McGovern, Josh Allen — Buffalo Bills center Connor McGovern celebrates with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen's touchdown, the team's first of the game in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Dec. 28, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

McGovern is 28 years old, and with Allen about to turn 30, the two are now tied together through the 2029 season. It should be a bright future for the team’s dynamic duo as they continue to build experience together in new head coach Joe Brady’s offense, which produced the NFL's leading rusher, James Cook, in 2025.

His continued presence is particularly valuable given Buffalo lost former starting left guard David Edwards, who signed with the New Orleans Saints in free agency. If the Bills had to replace both players, it would have been immensely challenging.

Instead, with McGovern still in tow, there remains a distinct level of familiarity the Bills should benefit from moving forward.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google